The New Orleans Saints chose not to activate the fifth-year option for cornerback Eli Apple, per a report from Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Apple is now scheduled to become a free agent in March 2020, barring a contract extension with the Saints.
Because Apple was the tenth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the calculation for valuing his fifth year option would have come in at an estimated $13,653,000 — far outside the price range New Orleans was willing to go for their second cornerback on the depth chart. Depending on how pending free agents like Dallas Cowboys star Byron Jones are paid, that estimation would rise in value.